I recently bought an embroidery machine on line and had the same purpose as the last guide I read on your site.  Husband was skeptic that I would ever use a new machine to get my full investment from it. I was also skeptic.
I had a seller that was very helpful in what to get for a stabilizer, thread and fabric.  It was also noted that the machine had only 2 hours of sewing since its regular checkup and cleaning.  It had a disk with it and also the built in images.  This is more than I will ever use until I learn the whole machine & what it can do.  It has a screen that gives you exact steps in performing the making of the images.
I ended up buying a Bernina 600 however whatever you purchase, ask questions before bidding. I also called a local dealer and they were very helpful in filling me in on what the machine will do.